Chilling in Boston

CHAMPIONSHIPVILLE, USA -- Hello Eye On The U Crew from up in chilly Boston. I just flew into Beantown a few hours ago for tonight's UM-Boston College basketball game. As soon as I got off the plane, not only did the temperature drop (it's in the 20s), but so did the number of losses I was carrying with me from Miami.

Good lord is Boston spoiled these days. Can you imagine what it would be like having the Heat on top in the NBA, the Dolphins with Tom Brady and another undefeated season on the brink and the Marlins as World Series champs all in the same calendar year? When I checked into my hotel an hour ago the guy at the front desk actually apologized to me -- like if someone I knew had died -- when I told him I was from Miami. Where would South Florida be right now without Frank Haith's 14-1 team?

Anyway, I'll be blogging live during the game tonight. But the Tuesday night special, Live Q&A, will have to hold off until Wednesday for obvious reasons. The Herald didn't send me up to Boston to answer questions. They sent me up here to freeze my $*% off and cover this basketball game.

I know many of you are clamoring for football news. There's a ton of hot stuff on the plate (receivers coach Marquis Mosely, recruiting and of course that defensive coordinator position) and I'll try to get to it once I get back to Miami Wednesday (I'll do another podcast Wednesday too).

EARLY ENROLLEES: Just so you know, I spoke to the folks at UM and there will not be an official announement of who actually is part of the early signing class for football until next Wednesday (Jan. 23). They have to wait until then to announce it per NCAA rules. We might or might not get access to the players then. But for now, I've been told all incoming freshman are off limits to the media. And I plan to respect that until told otherwise. That being said, I called Northwestern quarterback Jacory Harris this weekend and spoke to him briefly. He informed he couldn't talk, but did confirm he and his four Northwestern teammates -- defensive tackle Marcus Forston, receiver Aldarius Johnson, and linebacker Sean Spence -- are all waiting on their transcripts (which will not be available to them *and all students in Miami-Dade until Friday). I mentioned this during a Q&A awhile back, but now I'm saying it here.

All of UM's incoming recruits have until Jan. 23 to be enrolled in classes. Harris told me he's confident he and the Bulls will be fine. The only casualty appears to be safety Joe Wylie of Boyd Anderson High in Broward, who will now have to enroll in the fall because he's a credit short of qualifying. I've been told linebackers Arthur Brown and Jordan Futch, quarterback Cannon Smith, tight end John Calhoun, fullback Patrick Hill and kicker Jake Wieclaw are all already on campus.

GOOD READ: For those of you who might have missed it, my former editor Walter Villa, now a freelance writer, wrote a good story on quarterback Robert Marve for the St. Pete Times. Check it out.